All my life, my dad would say, “You can tell a lot about someone by the people they choose to hang around.”
Like many things parents say, I heard it long before I understood it.
I will admit that I have a tendency, maybe more than most, to become an insider in almost any crowd. It is my natural instinct to fit in. I am no contrarian. I can usually find common ground, learn the language, and become part of the conversation pretty quickly.
Most of the time, that is a good quality. But it has a dangerous side.
Every crowd has its own gravity. Spend enough time inside one and you begin to adopt its assumptions. You laugh at the same things, share the same frustrations, and excuse the same behavior. Eventually, ideas that once seemed strange begin to feel perfectly reasonable.
Proximity has a way of making things normal.
Proverbs 13:20 says, “Walk with the wise and become wise, for a companion of fools suffers harm.”
Wisdom is connected to walking. It is picked up along the way through conversations, shared experiences, and the voices we allow to carry weight.
Jesus spent time with broken people and welcomed those others avoided. Compassion should reach everyone. Influence requires more care.
We may not become like everyone we meet, but we often become like the people whose approval matters most.
That is why my dad’s advice still follows me. He understood that the people around us reveal something about who we are. Perhaps more importantly, they are quietly shaping who we are becoming.
Choose your proximity carefully. Every crowd is taking you somewhere.
If this encouraged you, share it with someone who might need it today.
#FirstLight #Proximity #Wisdom #Faith #Relationships